Engine-starting apparatus



H- M. MARTIN ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 5, 1919 40 .INVENTOR HAROLD M. MARTIN ATTORNEY upon the shaft,

Patented June 5, 1928. i

STA

TES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD M. MARTIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ANY, OF ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION ncrarsn MACHINE ooMr OF NEW YORK.

' ENGINE-STARTING APPARATUS.

Application filed August 5, 1919. Serial No. 315,532.

This invention relates to engine starters. @ne of the objects is to provide apparatus of the above type which shall be compact and simple in construction.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the type mentioned which shall be light in weight,' ea'sy to assemble, reliable in action and the operation of which shall be automatic.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,

combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of this invention,

Fig. 1 shows a view in longitudinal section of one embodiment of my invention in inboard form, Fig.

2 shows a transverse sectional view of Fig.

It taken along the line 2-2, Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, Fig. i is an end view of the transmission viewed from the motor and Fig.

shows a view generally similar to Fig. 1 in an outboard embodiment.

Similar. reference characters referto similar parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

Referring now companying drawings, T have to Figs. 1 to 4: of the acshown a fragment of an electric starting motor 1 provided with a smooth extended arm ature shaft 2 upon which is mounted in slidable relation,

a driving pinion 3 adapted to mesh with an engine member a which may be the fly-wheel and which is provided with its periphery.

gear teeth 5 on For compelling'automatic shifting of the pinion 3 along the shaft responsive to starting of the motor and for then transmitting the cranking torque T a transmission be described. Encircling the the shaft and in snug relation preferably provide means now to outer end of thereto 1 provide a rigid sleeve member 6 having threads on its outer cylindrical surface as at 7. The

sleeve is rigidly secured to the shaft by encircling the outer reduced end 8 of the sleeve by means of a-collar 9 with p referably diatransmission unit taken by travel toward meshing position of metrically opposite flattened areas 10, 11. A bolt pin 12 extends transversely through the collar at right angles to the flattened areas and has a tapered side 13 adapted to be wedged against a flattened area 14 near the end of shaft 2, the collar 9 and the reduced end 8 of the sleeve having appropriate openings therein to permit direct contact between the bolt pin and the shaft 2. -A nut 15 is threaded onto the end of the pin and wedges it in position, thus locking the parts in fixed relation to each other.

Threaded upon the sleeve 6, there is a nut member 16 provided with a flange 17 contacting the friction element 18 on a clutch plate 19 which clutchplate has splines as at 20 fitting into a barrel member 21. The barrel 21 has an inturned rim 22 provided with a serrated edge fitting between the teeth of pinion 3 as at 23. The pinion as heretofore noted is mounted direct on shaft 2 and not on the sleeve. Ahe pinionhas a flange 24: secured thereto immediately behind the rim 22 and a compression spring 25 within the barrel presses at one end against clutch plate 19 and at the other against plate 24. A cap 26 is secured to the barrel to maintain the construction in assembled relation. A canstant torque clutch element 27 fits" against flange 19 on the side opposite clutch 18 and is maintained under constant torque by means of a collar 28 contacting therewith and held in place by a split ring 29. The itself is not my invention, but forms subject-matter of the copending application of Joseph Bijur, Serial No. 145,839, filed February 1st,'1917. Further description of the details ofthis' unit is not needed as such details are not material to this invention.

Forlimiting the movement of the nut in its the pinion, 1 provide integrally with the inner end of the sleeve a flange 30 against which is is placed abufler member preferably comprising a fiber washer 31 contacting the 30 and a metal washer 32 contacting,

flange the fiber washer, the said buffer being held in place by means of a lock ring 33 fitting into a corresponding groove in the sleeve. In this buffer the fiber prevents a metal to metal contact thus avoiding -sticking, and the metal washer takes up the wear. At the outer end of the sleeve is provided a similar buffer washercomprising a metal washer 34.

buffer encircles the reduced portion 8 of the sleeve and is held against comingoff the sleeve by means of the collar 9.

As is apparent, the nut including the pinon 3 with the barrel 21 associated therewith and its enclosed elements together with the sleeve 6 upon which the nut 16 is threaded may be assembled apart from the motor. The electric motor is made with a smooth extended shaft 2 having a slightly flattened area 14 at its end. For assembly, the sleeve with the associated transmission unit is slipped upon the extended shaft, pinion 3 in advance and the sleeve 7 following behind.

Thereupon the pin 12 is inserted into the transverse opening in collar 9 and wedged in place in a manner obvious from the description of the construction above, the nut 15' securing the sleeve against coming loose.

.In operation the motor being started in the usual manner the threaded .sleeve mem: her 6 being'rigid with the extended shaft rotates therewith. By reason of the inertia of the nut 16 and the parts attached thereto including the barrel and the pinion, the rotatable transmission unit does not at once take up the rotation of the shaft, and therefore moves longitudinally along the shaft urging the pinion through spring into .-mesh with the fiy-wheel teethfi. As meshing takes place the-clutch plate 19 strikes the buffer washer 32 and sticking is prevented since this washer is free to rotate with respect to the bufierwasher 31. lin view of the resistance of the engine to cranking the nut will tend to continue moving along the threaded sleeve thereby compressing the fricscribed above that are not 0 are fully described in the copendmg application clutch l819 against the buffer member thus tightening it until it is sufiiciently strong to transmit torque from the motor to the shaft through the clutch to the barrel and the pinion. After the engine has started under its own power it causes the nut to override the threaded sleeve in the well known manner drawing the pinionvout of mesh. Sticking of the transmission when it reaches home or .demeshing position is prevented, as the nut strikes the metal washer 34 of the .euter bufier and this metal washer is free to rotate with respect to the fiber washer 35.

Further aspects of the operation such, as for instance,- the automatic relief in case teethot the pinion should butt those offthe fly-wheel need not be set forth as such actime depends on features ot the construction indicated in the drawings and briefly demy invention, but

tion already referred to.

My threaded sleeve as aboves'et forth constitutes an element ri id with the extended shaft 2 andin effect integral therewith. If

the threads were machined upon the shaft as unitary parts thereof, it is obvious that the pinion 3 could conveniently he slipped upon the shaft only if the tops of the screw threads determined a diameter not greater than that of the pinion bore. In this event, however, the shaft. would be materially weakened'as compared with'the present construction. If the screw threads were made .sufliciently strong for the i; urpose in the unitary construction referred to, the. smooth part of the shaft upon which thepinion is sleeved would obviously have to be of larger diameter, the pinion would consequentlyhave more teeth, and the possible speed reduction between the pinion and the flywheel would be less than in my construction, necessitating a correspondingly larger motor.

The outboard form shown in Fig. 5 includes a housing 36 secured to the motor as at 37 and having an outer bearing 38 therein for the extended armature shaft 39. The threaded sleeve 40 in this view has screw threads upon that end of the projecting shaft 39 nearest themotor as at 41. The bore of the sleeve and that art'of the shaft supporting it, ma if desired be of somewhat larger diameter t an the bore of the pinion and the corresponding shaft portion. The transmission unit is identical with that described in connection with Fig. 1 above and the assembly and operation are obvious from that description and need not be further described.

-It will thus be seen that there is herein described apparatus in which the several features of this invention are embodied, and

wluclrinvention in its action attains the various objects of the invention and is well suited to meet the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described I claim as new and desire to secure by Let "ters Pa tent ish- 1. In engine starting apparatus, in combination, a motor, a shaft driven thereby. a drive assembly formed as a unit adapted to he slipped thereupon and comprising a screw threaded sleeve mounted upon and rigidly secured to the shaft, a control member threaded on'the sleeve and adapted to move longitudinally thereof and rotarily therewith, a driving member mounted on said shaft, and lo'catedbeyond said sleeve, said control member having a rotary movement relative to the driving mem er and said driving member being movable longilit ment relative to the driving tudinally on the shaft to engage a member of the engine to be'started and being operatively connected with the control member.

2. In engine starting apparatus, in combination, a motor, a shaft driven thereby, a driveassembly formed as a unit adapted -to he slipped thereupon'and comprising a screw threaded sleeve mounted upon and secured at one end to one end of the shaft, a control member threaded on the sleeve and adapted to move longitudinally thereof and rotarily therewith, a driving member mounted on said shaft'and located beyond said sleeve, said control member having a rotary movemember and said driving-member being movable longitudinally on the shaft'to engage a. member of the engine to be started and being operatively connected with the control member.

3. In engine starting apparatus, in combination, a motor, a. shaft a drive assembly formed as a unit adapted to be slipped upon the shaft and comprising a sleeve rigidly secured to said shaft, said sleeve encircling said shaft and in snug relation thereto and having screw threads on its outer cylindrical surface, a nut threaded on said sleeve, a pinion on said shaft and beyond said sleeve, a stop flange for said nut formed integral with said sleeve, and means including a friction clutch memberin the path of said nut adapted to be tightened by said nut against said flange for transmitting torque from said nut to said pinion.

4. In engine starting apparatus, in combination, a shaft, a drive assembly formed as a unit adapted to be slipped upon the. shaft and comprising a threaded sleeve secured thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, a

toothed driving member on said shaft and beyond said sleeve,

said sleeve having an integral flange near one end, an means against saidflange for arresting said nut hwhen said driving member comes into mes 5. In engine starting apparatus, in combination, a shaft, a drive assembly formed as a unit adapted to he slipped upon the shaft and comprising a threaded sleeve secured thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, a pinion on said shaft and beyond said sleeve, said sleeve having a flange at either end, and buffer means against each flange, limiting the travel of said nut.

6. In engine starting apparatus, in combination, a motor, an armature shaft, an extension therefor of substantially uniform cross-section, a pinion movable on said shaft, a drive assembly formed as a unit adapted to he slipped upon'said armature a sleeve enshafteirtension and comprisin circling said shaft and rigidly secured thereto, said sleeve being in snug relation to said shaft and having screw threads on driven thereby,

d bufferv its outer cylindrical surface, a nut threaded upon said sleeve, means integral with said sleeve constituting a stop for said nut, and driving means connecting said nut and said pinion, said means including a friction clutch carried by said nut and adapted to be tightened by pressure of said nut against said stop.

7. In a a starting motor having a shaft extend therefrom, a sleeve secured to said shaft, a second sleeve floated on said shaft, an engaging device floated on said shaft, means for operatively connecting said second sleeve with the engaging device adapted to form a driving connection which will permit unlimited slippage therebetween when a maximum load has been placed thereon, and means device of the character described,

for connecting said first and second sleeves wherebymovement of the shaft combined with'inertia of the parts associated with the second sleeve will cause movement of said second sleeve and the arts associated therewith longitudinally of said shaft.

8. In a device of the character described, a

starter motor havin a shaft extended therefrom, a sleeve fixe to said shaft, a second sleeve floated on said shaft, an engaging device floated on said shaft, means for operatively connecting the first and second sleeves whereby imparting rotation to the shaft will cause the float sleeve to move longitudinally relative to the shaft, means for operatiwely connecting the engagin device and said floating sleeve whereby the engaging device is normally held from rotation relative to the second ,sleeve sistance, said first mentioned means being ada ted to increase said resistance automatically to the torque capacity of the motor when the sleeve and engagingdevice have reached a predetermined osition, said by a relatively light re a means permitting slippage w en the torque capacity ofthe motor is exceeded.

9. In a device of the character described, a starting motor having a shaft extended therefrom, a driving assembly formed as a unit adapted to slip thereupon and comprising a sleeve secured to said shaft, asecond sleeve mounted on said shaft, an engaging device floated on said shaft, means for operativelyconnecting said second sleeve with the engaging device adapted toform a driving connection which will permit slippage therebetween, andmeans for connecting said first and second sleeves whereby movement of the shaft combined with inertia of, they parts associated with the second sleeve will cause movement of said second'sleeve and the parts associated therewith longitudinally of said shaft. l

10. In a device of the character described, a starting motor having a shaft extended therefrom, a drivin assembly formed as a unit adapted to slip thereupon and comtee with the second sleeve will "cause movement of said second sleeve and the parts associated 1 therewith longitudinally of said shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 15th day of Jul 1919.

HAROLD M. MARTIN. 

